Will You Get Vaccinated for Coronavirus (COVID-19)? Can It Make Tinnitus or Hyperacusis Worse?

COVID-19 Novavax vaccine is different from the others in that it is a "Protein Subunit Vaccine".

So far the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna) have been iffy at best and J&J (Vector) seems to be in the same boat. The purpose of this thread is discuss why these vaccines have been randomly causing tinnitus and to find hope in something else.

I'm not a scientist (or even close) but the similarity I'm seeing is that both the mRNA and the vector vaccines either "instruct the cells" or "attach to cells".

The protein subunit vaccines just get little pieces of the target virus circulating in the system for the immune system to find and recognize. Instead of using the human body as the vaccine factory, genetically engineered insect viruses are used to infect moths, whose cells then produce the pieces of coronavirus spike protein. These are harvested and made into a vaccine.​

The argument seems to be pointing the finger at inflammation. If it's the immune/inflammatory response that causes the tinnitus upon vaccination, then we would get tinnitus with numerous types of inflammatory issues or every sniffle which is usually not the case. Or, if it is actually the case perhaps it's the body-wide cellular approach with the mRNA and vector vaccines which might be messing with hair cells, etc. This is just my first guess and I'm curious to see everyone else's comments.

This page has a good comparison of the vaccines:
How the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine works

 

Extremely torn about this. I'm UK based and got a text today about getting vaccinated. Before getting tinnitus I was 100% getting vaccinated, I remember punching the air with delight when the vaccine trial results were announced.

I will admit I still feel very bitter towards the NHS, as it was an MRI carried out by them that caused my tinnitus and I have received absolutely zero help and support from them since. Currently on a 9-month waiting list to be seen at one of their tinnitus clinics.

I know the vast majority of those with tinnitus who have the vaccine are fine, but the thought of having an optional medication that could potentially worsen my tinnitus terrifies me. Having serious doubts about getting vaccinated.

 

I had the same issue with an MRI and they couldn't have cared less. From my experience, it's a waste of time going to the NHS for help with tinnitus, but then I suppose it depends on the hospital (judging from the feedback I've seen, though, I think this problem is universal). I saw many people (consultants and audiologists) and can honestly say that they didn't have a clue and were very uneducated on the matter. In fact, I thought some of the people I saw were very patronising.

It touches a nerve with me when a "tinnitus expert" starts to tell you how it is, especially when they have no real-life experience of it. When I said some have it at catastrophic levels I was told that that doesn't exist. Then I said mine changes in volume all the time, and I was told that was in my head and wasn't real . You just sit there and think who are these people? This is the help I get? They don't even understand the condition, and it's at that point that you switch off and stop listening. Don't get me wrong, the ones who rubbed me up the wrong way were pleasant and nice people; they just didn't have the first clue about tinnitus. When I started talking about the latest research, and explained why tinnitus can be catastrophic and variable, she just looked at me like a deer in the headlights. The problem stems from the fact that they are still using Jastreboff's neurophysiological model like it's gospel.

 

At the beginning of January this year I had never heard of Jastreboff, now I despise the man. He has set back tinnitus research at least 15 years with his glorified CBT.

 

I was looking into planning for an early retirement (I'm in my 30's now) but healthcare costs in the US are the main reason I fear I'll never be able to retire early, that is unless I retire and move out of the country. Employer plans are usually better than what you purchase on the healthcare exchange, and even then it's not nearly as good as what you could get 10+ years ago. I used to have a $50 copay for going to the ER regardless of what kind of scans or tests they performed, I had an ultrasound done in the ER and only payed $50 out of pocket (now that was a good insurance policy). Now it's almost guaranteed to be in the thousands before you meet your high deductible.

My father recently retired after finding out he had advance cancer. He started his treatment while still employed, but after he retired and went on Medicare, the bill for his cancer medication went from $0 to more than $20,000 a year so he stopped taking it.

 

@linearb -- I would do a good number of things, many of which can be found by doing an online search for something like, "natural immune system modulators". My understanding is that modulators is an important term, meaning they don't necessarily "stimulate" the immune system, but mostly modulate it instead so that it keeps it from going into overdrive when overly stimulated, either by an infection or a vaccine. My understanding is that many who die from COVID-19 do so from their immune systems going into hyperdrive.

I think most mushrooms fall into the category of being immune system modulators. One particular immune modulator that I read about extensively several years ago, and that is not particularly well known compared to mushrooms and various herbs like echinacea, is beta glucans (see link below). As I recall, the scientific literature backing up its effectiveness is fairly extensive, with much of the research having been done in Japan.

The Immune Benefits of Beta Glucans
Beta glucans, found in baker’s yeast, mushrooms, and cereal grains, help the body fight cancer and disease. Find out how this natural compound helps maintain optimal health.
Scientifically reviewed by: Dr. Gary Gonzalez, MD, on February 2020.

Approaching this from a somewhat different angle, I would also recommend people do some thoracic extension exercises to boost their immune function. This :37 second video shows two ways a rolled up towel or foam piece can be used for the upper thoracic area. -- Thoracic Towel Stretch

This link is to a 5-minute video which goes into more detail on how to use a towel or foam piece to loosen up the upper back: -- The Simplest and Most Effective Exercise For Thoracic Extension

The reasoning behind this is that the bulk of our immune system is apparently in our GI tract, and 90% of it is in the upper GI tract around the gall bladder and start of the small intestine. Doing these thoracic exercises opens up energy and nerve pathways to these areas, and supports overall immune function. Doing these simple exercises pretty dramatically changed my life, including feeling a sense of my immune system functioning better.

A third area I would consider is this: Many people with ME/CFS--which used to be referred to as CFIDS--is a debilitating disease with a dysfunctional immune system component. The I and the D in CFIDS stands for Immune Dysfunction. From my years of researching this illness, I've learned that most people get it after experiencing a shock of some kind. It can be a physical shock, an emotional shock, but most often is some kind of infectious shock. Many people get sick and stay sick after a viral illness (like the long-haulers). Others have the same experience just from getting a vaccine.

After all these years, I've come to the conclusion that one of the best ways to avoid this kind of shock that can totally upend a person's immune system is to build up the body's overall resiliency before something like that ever occurs. There are many things a person can do to do this, such as regularly getting the rest and repose we need, which is another way of training our systems to go into parasympathetic mode. As far as supplements that could help that, I would look into natural plant based adaptogens. One of the most potent and well known adaptogen is licorice root.

So those would be my top 3 recommendations: 1) beta glucans; 2) thoracic extension exercises; 3) licorice root. I could probably easily list a couple dozen other things, but I think these three could significantly boost the body's resilience for just about anything that might come along.

Regarding those thoracic extension exercises: Even if a person was not interested in doing them to support immune function, they could be highly beneficial for just about anybody who does a lot of sitting. I was looking at a bookcase recently where the weight of the books made the otherwise sturdy bookcase shelves sag in the middle. Similarly I think poor posture from years of doing computer work, or other repetitive motions can take quite a toll on our whole skeletal structure(s). Anything we can do to keep our structure as aligned as possible is going to support the body in innumerable ways. I think improved immune system function would be one of those ways. Preventing tinnitus could be another.

 

I think this is a personal decision and each of us must decide what to do, based on science and facts. And consider the benefits vs the risks.

I am seeing in forums of other conditions of the ears and vestibular conditions many complaints of people regarding vestibular and hearing issues. We will have to wait but it seems the vestibular and hearing effects are not that small, probably due to a strong inflammation in the brain (dizziness, vertigo, tinnitus, brain fog).

 

My vaccine is scheduled today for 4:15 pm GMT. I think there's a 90% chance it will be the AstraZeneca.

 

Yes! I've left appointments crying in my car because of this. I believe in the "tinnitus perception", but it certainly changes in volume. It's also not directly related to stress, as a loud tone can come out of nowhere and ruin a perfectly good day. A quiet squeal from deep within the ear is not the same as the feeling of your whole head vibrating, but some tinnitus specialists just brush it off as it being all the same. How are we supposed to trust medical professionals when they don't trust or believe us? I'm pro-vaccine, but still worried, and a lot of it's probably due to how this affliction (symptom, whatever tinnitus is) has been treated.

@Ed209, good luck with your vaccine today! Thanks for being a voice of reason. I am very torn on this one. Part of me wants to wait and part of me wishes someone had a dart gun and would just shoot me with the vaccine when I wasn't looking.

 

I think it’s too bad mRNA vaccines had to be deployed like this. Bad actors went and have polluted the internet with inaccurate info, and the public has apprehension about a technology that seemingly came from nowhere. If mRNA technology had first been deployed en mass as cancer vaccines and CAR Tcell therapy I think public perception would be much warmer and there would have been more time to gather information on potential edge case reactions like we see on this forum.

I went with Pfizer because I heard it had the least severe reactions. I needed a vaccine as I hope to travel internationally this year for healthcare access (condition other than tinnitus) and would not feel safe doing so unvaccinated.

 

I have my 2nd Moderna shot tomorrow. First one only left me with a sore shoulder for a few days. I hope the 2nd is the same!

 

Yep, that seems to be the main vaccine used here in the UK. From what I've read and researched my preference would definitely be to have the Pfizer vaccine.

 

I'm planning to take the Pfizer vaccine soon.

Anyone with whooshing pulsatile tinnitus, did it worsen the whooshing sound?

Also, anyone who has primarily high pitched somatic tinnitus, did the vaccine impact the tinnitus in any way?

 

Which is kind of funny because a lot of AstraZeneca is being manufactured in the US. (I used to work for a CMO and know people that are manufacturing AstraZeneca now.) I can imagine the initial storage requirement for the Pfizer vaccine was a logistical nightmare.

 

I'm sure it was just an abundance of caution on Pfizer's part that drove them to initially require a temperature that only major pharmaceutical companies and a few other industries routinely have equipment to supply, and not a desire to manipulate the supply chain.

At least, I'm as sure of that, as I am that their subsequent decision to backpedal that was motivated by purely by new information and nothing at all to do with making it easier to achieve vaccine delivery at a wider variety of locations once market dominance had been achieved.

Anyway, a week and I'll have had my first

 

Hi Ed,

I hope you and the family are doing well.

I had the AstraZeneca shot 5 days ago. It was fine, didn't feel a thing and no effect on my tinnitus.

How did it go for you?

Peace.

 

CDC Says Some Vaccine Reactions Were Caused By Anxiety

Valid or not?

 

Just some tiredness and a sore arm later the following day. Glad it went well for you too, and hope you and your family are doing ok.

 

Hello All,

Just wanted to share my post-vaccine update. It's been 3 months since my vaccine and onset of very loud tinnitus. I've reported how it's been going in a few other posts.

Since my last post, I had very reactive tinnitus that I could almost feel. I believe I read here that others experience that.

I saw my 4th ENT. Let me say I liked him more than the other 3 because we have a plan. I wanted the most wholistic, drug free plan to start, then work from there. This ENT agrees with that and put me on Lipoflavonoid for 30 days, after which we will re-evaluate and discuss medication; i.e. steroids or something else. I'm good with that. I've had a bottle of that Lipoflavonoid sitting in my cabinet since it started but never tried. While it's no cure, I do believe it provided support for the reactivity 'feeling' to cease. Since I've been taking it for about a week, I haven't felt those sensations. I still have some spikes but they are about 8-9 days apart instead of 5-7. He was very up front about it and said 50% of patients really find no benefit, but he said it wouldn't hurt, so why not give it a try. He was knowledgeable about the post-vaccine tinnitus and really formed a partnership with me to give me support and help. That's what I was looking for. Because I'm in healthcare I feel this makes me a tougher critic on all healthcare providers.

One major thing the ENT doctor said was he does believe this tinnitus (specifically caused by the vaccine) will improve in time - so there is hope.

What I wanted to share with this community is some other interesting information. I know of a case of post-vaccine reaction that is remarkably presenting like Guillian Barre Syndrome (GBS), where the nerves are under attack by an immune response. This very intellectual forum already knows GBS, is usually caused by an acute bacterial or viral infection. The patient presented with many of the same symptoms I had, but very pronounced. They were panic, anxiety, heart dysrhythmia, feeling of despair, muscle twitches. I had a milder form of these, plus the tinnitus. I had some numbness and tingling in toes, a twitch in my lip, panic, anxiety, despair. In GBS, the body can mistakenly attack nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. Once damaged, some cannot be repaired, others may take weeks to months to repair.

I thought this was interesting and scary at the same time. I am now even more hyper-aware of diet and inflammation. On turmeric, drinking herbal teas, eating clean, and still praying a lot . I'm so grateful there are days where the sound is in the background and I can really do well at work. Days like today, having a spike, set me back momentarily, as I regroup here on this site taking in all your wonderful support. Thank you for being here - I do appreciate you.

Mary ❤

P.S. Anxious to hear from anyone else with post-vaccine tinnitus on how you're doing.

 

This is very suspicious. I don't know if it's just me but I often see the words "two days" when someone anecdotally reports someone else dying after taking the vaccine. And I'm very curious if his death was reported as non-vaccine death. I wouldn't be surprised if his death was reported as a "coincidence."

 

It was reported as a blood clot caused by the vaccine. Poor lad. He really was an outgoing, intelligent young man. Such a shame. The worst thing was, they’re not even sure why he was offered the vaccine - he had no underlying health issues. Apparently it was a mixup in the first place... one that cost him his life.

 

So he received the AstraZeneca vaccine? That one is linked to blood clots.

 

Hi Tink!

I am unsure what vaccine he received. I’ll find out and report back.

 

Scheduled for BioNTech/Pfizer on 10 May.

I don't feel particularly relaxed about the prospect, but there don't seem to be good alternatives at the moment.

 

Please please please everyone, get your vaccine.

I'm a medical doctor and I got mine a month ago. COVID-19 infection can CAUSE severe severe tinnitus. Plus COVID-19 is very miserable, think about breathing through a straw, throwing up blood, and then dying, or surviving but have shot lungs, brain fog, fatigue, and tinnitus through the roof.

There should only be 2 answers to the survey: yes, and damn right yes.

Get whatever vaccine you can get.

Plus: do you really want to incubate a lethal virus, and then pass it to someone else who dies from it? Well, their blood is on your hands. You are ethically responsible for the other person's death, even if you are completely asymptomatic.

 

J&J vaccine has also been linked to blood clots.

In any case, I’ve decided to get the vaccine. This past week—hell, this year—has taught me that spikes and new noises can happen without a good reason, so what’s the point in being careful with something so important? Shit’s fucked anyway.

 

Without any apparent reason, very true, but the vaccines are EXPERIMENTAL and you are voluntarily getting a jab in the arm. The vaccines have been reported to have caused adverse and serious side effects worse than just a sore arm.

People who have tinnitus are even posting here with the impression that their tinnitus worsened after getting a vaccine. THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE.

 

There are also hundreds of thousands of people who are just fine. In the end everyone has to decide for themselves whether they want to take that risk or not. Simple as that.

 

I had the Pfizer shot 3 weeks ago. First shot.

My tinnitus increased a little that night and I had a bunch of unusual new tones starting three days later... probably a 25% increase in annoyance.

After three weeks it's maybe 15% increase or 20%.

I'm not doing the 2nd shot.

I wish I'd taken the J&J shot, because:

1. It's not the same new technology,
2. While I saw clinical result indicating a bit more tinnitus that Pfizer, I have yet to see someone on the forums say J&J spiked or caused their tinnitus,
3. At least I would be fully vaccinated if I was going to have worse tinnitus.

I don't know when or if it will ever baseline. I was hoping by now it would.

 

The ratio of VAERS reports citing tinnitus is higher for J&J versus other vaccines. One dose of Moderna or Pfizer has a higher efficiency rate, too.